RICHARD RODNEY BENNETT (1936–2012)1 Memento* 5.35

REBECCA CLARKE (1886–1979)2 Midsummer Moon 5.48

FRANK BRIDGE (1879–1941)3 Cradle Song H.96 2.47

CYRIL SCOTT (1879–1970)4 Poème érotique 5.03 No.1 from Deux Préludes

ROGER QUILTER (1877–1953) 5 Dream Valley* 2.23 No.1 from Three Songs of William Blake Op.20

ANGELA MORLEY (1924–2009)6 Rêverie* 3.33

SOPHIE ROSA violin & IAN BUCKLE piano

*world-premiere recordings

Artist biographies can be found at www.rubiconclassics.com

Total timing: 25.14

Walking along the darken’d valley,With silent Melancholy.

William Blake, from Memory, Hither Come

The music on this EP inhabits a particular corner of the bounteous repertory of characteristic pieces for violin and piano. Short without being slight, these miniatures are vibrant and emotive, getting to the heart of the matter with freshness and originality, and sharing a rich yet restrained harmonic language, which is identifiably English in character.

Among our assortment, three are world-premiere recordings. Richard Rodney Bennett’s Memento was composed in 2010 for violinist Ruth Palmer – for a memorial service in London for Dan Klein – and is based on music from the song Follow Your Saint from Bennett’s 1970 cycle The Music that Her Echo Is. Continuing the vocal theme, our title track Dream Valley is taken from Roger Quilter’s cycle Three Songs of William Blake, the nostalgic sentiments of Blake’s poem beautifully preserved in the composer’s intimate arrangement for violin and piano. Angela Morley’s Rêverie was a commission from the BBC for a new piece to be recorded by the BBC Concert Orchestra. Originally for violin and strings, we are pleased to present the first recording of the piece in this duo version.

Rebecca Clarke’s Midsummer Moon is a masterpiece of English Impressionism, a ritual celebration of summer with an undercurrent of mysticism; and Cyril Scott’s Poème érotique, from Deux Préludes, is a highly-charged mini-rhapsody, its urgent romantic gestures unsettled by a constantly shifting metre. Our programme is completed by Frank Bridge’s Cradle Song, the composer’s own adaptation of his effortlessly exquisite miniature for cello and piano.

The cover artwork on this EP is taken from one of six murals by Peter Daniels, which adorn the walls of the Wyastone Concert Hall in Monmouthshire, where our recording was made. We are grateful to Peter’s widow Elizabeth for generously allowing us to use the image, which directly enhances the atmosphere in the hall and contributed greatly to the joyful time we had making the record.

Sophie Rosa and Ian Buckle

Executive producer: Matthew Cosgrove Producer and Engineer: Oscar Torres

Recording location: Wyastone Concert Hall, Wyastone Leys, Monmouth, March 2021Publishers: Novello & Co. Ltd (1, 6); Oxford University Press (2); Schott Music GmbH & Co. KG, Mainz (4); Boosey & Hawkes (5)

Cover image courtesy of the late Peter Daniels' family and the Wyastone Estate.Design: Paul Marc Mitchell for WLP Ltd

2021 Sophie Rosa & Ian Buckle C Rubicon Classics Ltd. All rights of the manufacturer and of the recorded work reserved. Unauthorised hiring, lending,

public performance, broadcast and copying of this recording prohibited.